Update On Post About Dangerous Intersection On Mary Gates Drive

Last month we did a post on drivers rolling through the stop sign on Mary Gates Drive and 48th Avenue NE, a key corner for the neighborhood.

A reader had sent in email alerting us to the many cars driven by fellow neighbors not adhering to the stop sign and causing a hazard for children walking to school, bicyclists and pedestrians.

Several readers left comments after the post:

"I couldn't agree more and I even have something to add. Crosswalks - drivers in our neighborhood seem to think that they only have to stop at a crosswalk when safety patrols are present both at Laurelhurst Elementary and at the Villa Academy. At other crosswalks around the park and schools drivers rarely stop. That is plainly dangerous for pedestrians, joggers and children using the crosswalks outside of school hours."

"Our prior neighbor's daughters car was totaled at this intersection due to this exact problem - the person literally didn't even slow down!"

"I thought your piece on driver behavior at the NE 41st /48NE intersection was good. I walk through that intersection every day on my morning walk and have noticed for years that most folks seldom come to a complete stop…..many don’t even slow down. So I watched with some interest this morning, after your blog, how things were going. Of seven cars I observed going through the intersection…………not one made a complete stop. Most drove through the intersection as if there were no stop sign. We have our work cut out for us."

Our staff emailed Peg Nielsen with the City of Seattle Communications Office about this intersection and who to contact and what could be done and she responded:

Given that there aren’t any visibility concerns with the stop signs and no reported collisions have been documented in the past three years, the intersection appears to be operating reasonably safely. However, we will ask SPD to consider conducting enforcement at the intersection, but absent a documented safety concern in addition to current budget limitations, they may not be able to accommodate the request at this time.

It is a four-way stop, so it’s important for both drivers and pedestrians, even when they clearly have the right-of-way, to not make assumptions about the other drivers’ behavior.  In particular, pedestrians crossing the street in any situation should seek to make eye contact with the approaching driver and to also assess what the vehicle is doing.  Are they very clearly slowing down for the stop?  Are they maintaining speed?  Has the driver seen them?  That’s the best way to avoid near misses.  This is a good habit for drivers, as well, before entering the intersection at either four-way stops or signalized intersections.

A few days later she emailed again saying:
According to Luke Korpi, Neighborhood Traffic Manager for the Seattle Department of Transportation, “It’s unfortunate people aren’t coming to a complete stop, but that’s strictly a behavioral issue that could be partly mitigated with additional enforcement. That said, we will pass on your concerns to the Enforcement section of the Seattle Police Department.”

Our staff also emailed SDOT and here is their response:

It is a four-way stop, so it’s important for both drivers and pedestrians, even when they clearly have the right-of-way, to not make assumptions about the other drivers’ behavior.  In particular, pedestrians crossing the street in any situation should seek to make eye contact with the approaching driver and to also assess what the vehicle is doing.  Are they very clearly slowing down for the stop?  Are they maintaining speed?  Has the driver seen them?  That’s the best way to avoid near misses.  This is a good habit for drivers, as well, before entering the intersection at either four-way stops or signalized intersections.